


Abandoned

by shnuffeluv



Series: Whumptober 2019 [26]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Deception, Gen, Morally Neutral Deceit Sanders, Origin Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 22:40:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21187163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shnuffeluv/pseuds/shnuffeluv
Summary: For Whumptober Day 26: Abandoned. How Deceit became Deceit, and not just Self-Preservation.





	Abandoned

Preservation first came to in a pitch black room. There was no light that he could see coming from anywhere. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, but his head swam so much that he couldn't do more than hang his head as pain throbbed through his skull. A creak of metal made him force his head up to see light finally pouring into the room. He winced at the brightness of it, and used one shaking hand to shield his eyes. "Wh...where am I?" he asked.

A figure stood in the light, but Preservation could only see a silhouette with maybe a faint yellow tint to their edges. The laugh that came from the figure had Preservation thinking that maybe, just maybe, he should have kept his mouth shut and played dead. "You don't recognize it?" the figure asked, walking into the room after shoving the doors fully open, letting light reach every corner of the room. "You'll eventually become familiar with it, though. Considering you'll be stuck here the rest of your miserable existence, just like the rest of us."

"What?" Preservation asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position, legs tucked underneath him.

"Oh, poor dear, you don't remember, do you?" the figure asked, strolling up to Preservation.

Preservation gawked. The figure looked a lot like he or any of the other sides did, but his whole face was covered in scales, and his eyes were those of a snake's. "Remember what?"

"The others, dear. They abandoned you in the Imagination," the figure said, tilting his head to the side and offering up two gloved hands in a placating gesture.

Preservation was hit with a memory. They had been going on an adventure, but there had been a rock slide, pinning Preservation's legs and most of his upper body to the ground. He had called out for help, to Morality and Logic and Creativity, but they kept going, promising they'd come back for him when they had gotten to the bottom of what was going on. But then, there had been more rocks falling, and Preservation could see the largest boulder barreling straight for his head...and then he woke up here. "Am I dead?!" he asked. "Is this Hell?!"

The figure laughed. "I suppose that depends on who you ask, doesn't it?" he said enigmatically. "But no. You're in the 'Dark' half of the Mind Palace. The place sides like us go when we're no longer considered...necessary, or the core three don't want us around."

"What?!" Preservation asked. "But...but they need me! I keep them alive! They _need me!"_

"Indeed," the figure said, and Preservation's breathing slowed just a fraction. "But I'm afraid they might not see that."

"They have to!" Preservation said. "How do I get out of the Dark half?! How do I get back! I have to get back!"

The figure laughed, tilting Preservation's chin up with a single hand. "You can go back...but it won't be without a price, Preservation."

Preservation tugged at the edge of his sweater sleeves. He looked at the figure with determination. "I'll do whatever it takes. They need me."

The snake in front of him grinned. "Fuse your purpose with mine, and together we can make our way through the barrier that keeps us trapped between the true Mind Palace and the subconscious. We would be able to cross to both sides whenever we needed to."

Holding out a hand, the snake waited expectantly. Preservation eyed the hand warily, but if this was the only way to get back to the others...he took the hand and yelped in pain as the figure was sucked into Preservation's essence. His sweater and jeans transformed into the clothing the other figure had been wearing, right down to the yellow gloves, and he clawed at his face as the left side became covered in scales. When the pain subsided and he opened his eyes, his left was giving him vastly different information than his right.

Shakily, he stood, walking out of the room and looking around. To his left there were more rooms, and some figures milling around, mere functions that hadn't fully formed into sides. To his right, there was a thick wall of smoke, which he headed into. It made him cough and it clawed at his skin as if to tell him that he wasn't wanted. But the others needed him, he had to prove that to them!

When he got through the barrier he saw he was in the Common Room of the Mind Palace. He could hear laughter from the kitchen and saw that Logic, Morality, and Creativity were laughing and playing around as if he had never existed in the first place, and his hands balled into fists. Did they really think that little of him? Were they _relieved_ that he had left?! He was the one who kept those idiots safe, didn't they understand that?!

Shaking, he moved through the Mind Palace unnoticed until he got to his room. He was shocked to find that when he walked in, everything seemed to have a layer of dust over it. Morality had _always_ meticulously cleaned Preservation's room, whether he wanted it or not. But once Preservation had left...it was as if he had never existed in the first place, the only evidence showing that he might have been here an old, abandoned, dusty room.

Fury coursed through him like a railroad spike. The voice of the snake rang through his head. _I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it seems none of them actually cared for you, dear. I'm sorry._

He slammed the door to his room shut and screamed until his throat was hoarse. He couldn't understand why they didn't appreciate him enough to come back to look for him. Why they just moved on with their lives like he never existed in the first place. Well, if they didn't want him around, that was too bad, because he was staying! They needed him whether they _wanted_ him there or not! He'd show them, he'd show them all!

He went over to his mirror and inspected himself. He certainly didn't look much like his old self, only half of his body being purely human. He adjusted the hat on top of his head. He didn't look much like Preservation because he _wasn't_ Preservation. Or at least, not _purely_ Preservation. Not anymore. He needed a new name. A new role. What was he?

_Did no one tell you, my dear?_ the voice of the snake rang through his mind again. _You made a deal with the function of lying. Your function, your purpose is one of Deceit._

He looked down at his hands, a little stunned to do anything right away. Then, he laughed. Well, the others never listened to him when he was honest anyway, what was a little manipulation to keep them safe? "Deceit it is," he said, but his smile held no joy in it, just a grim determination.

He needed to adjust his room. It was entirely too...bland and cold. He needed to set something up so he could actually feel warmth in this stupid place, and he needed his room to show he meant business. With that goal in mind, he set about getting to work. And once he was done with that, he'd show the others that he _was_ needed, that he _was_ necessary, and that they _couldn't_ just throw him to the curb when they grew tired of him. He was the one who kept those idiots alive. They needed him. And he would show them _exactly_ why he was needed soon enough. Maybe by finally dealing with Creativity's darker side that always seemed to distress Thomas...now there was an idea...

**Author's Note:**

> In all honestly, I'm thinking of making this a longer fic, sometime when NaNoWriMo isn't imminent, and I'm not likely to die from too much writing and anticipation. Let me know what you think of that idea in the comments, maybe?
> 
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End file.
